By: John Fryman
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
john@thevillagereporter.com
Springfield Township Trustees met in a regular session on Wednesday, May 20, at the township office with trustees Ed Ruffer, Eric Creighton, and Steve Planson in attendance. Also, fiscal officer Patti Rosebrock, road maintenance supervisor Mike Short and zoning inspector Todd Burkholder were present.
Following the Pledge of Allegiance, trustees then approved the minutes of the May 6, 2026, meeting and the payment of bills.
Short reported that the township’s power ditcher equipment is experiencing mechanical issues with it. He suggested there is a 1992 Case IH Model 865 Ditcher which is currently up for auction on Gov.Deals.com.
The purpose of the ditcher is to clean out the bottom of the ditches and perform mowing duties.
Located at the Toledo Express Airport and being auctioned through the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, the ditcher has 4,700 hours of use and a current bid of $3,650. The auction closes on Thursday, May 28.
“I was going to ask about going to look at it and buy it, but I don’t know if we can get that done because of paying for it in time,” said Short.
“What I would do is to pull the ditching unit off and put it on this one because I would look at it first, because we have no dash on that one whatsoever. There are no gauges, no nothing. I tried to get it fixed and it can’t be fixed.”
Short told the trustees if the township decides to purchase a new ditcher, it would cost $120,000 and for a good used one would be about $30,000.
“I guess we’re getting by with this one, and it looks like we’re going to run into a bunch of issues trying to get it paid for,” said Short.
Rosebrock told Short that she will be out of town and unable to write out a check for the auction purchase.
“Usually over a certain amount of dollar value, it’s got to be a wire transfer, and they won’t use a credit card,” Short said.
Planson had offered to pay the full auction bid cost out of pocket, with the township reimbursing him later. Short added that the township must put it in Planson’s name since the bidding account must match the payment method.
Ruffer then made a motion to approve $10,000 for the auction bid purchase, which also includes expenses. The motion carried 3-0.
In other action, trustees tabled action regarding two older Springfield Township Fire Department trucks scheduled to be scrapped.
Trustees approved the township’s new credit card policy by increasing the spending limit to $3,000.
Creighton was approved to replace former trustee Rusty Goebel on the Business Continuity Plan. The plan outlines how the township will continue in the event of a service interruption or disaster, such as a flooded township building.
Burkholder reported he has received a permit from a township resident for construction of an accessory building.
He added there will be a hearing involving the Springfield Township Zoning Board for a conditional use permit on Wednesday, June 17 at 7 p.m. just prior to the regular trustees meeting.
The next meeting will be on Wednesday, June 3 at 7:30 p.m.
